Posted By The Finsiders On May 10, 2012 @ 1:27 pm In Football | No Comments

[1]Ryan Tannehill was selected a round before and the University of Miami products may have received more hype locally, but Jonathan Martin could be the Dolphins draft pick with the best chance to start on opening day.

“There’s going to be a transition because it’s such a different game,” Shaw said. “You’re trying to block Terrell Suggs and all these other guys who are big-time pass rushers, but Jonathan’s got the work ethic. (He’s) very bright; he’s very smart; he’ll learn the system; he’s very coachable. I’d imagine pretty soon he’ll be a very, very good offensive lineman.”

While there should be a few initial adjustments, Shaw thinks that Martin may be one of the most NFL-ready tackles from this year’s draft class because of the offensive system he played in at Stanford.

“It’s easy to see the transition from our offense to an NFL offense,” Shaw said. “Whereas a lot of the spread teams sometimes you’re not sure if an offensive lineman can come down and block and be physical and get off of a double team and get to the next level.

“For our guys, Jonathan in particular, you’re able to see him do everything he’s going to be asked to at the next level.”

At Stanford, Martin played left tackle, protecting Andrew Luck’s blindside. The Dolphins, however, drafted him with the intent of putting him on the right side, opposite of Jake Long. When Martin gets his bearings over there, it shouldn’t be too much of a change.

“He’s a very, very athletic young man. He’ll figure it out,” Shaw said. “It’s a little bit different technique-wise, but they’ve got outstanding coaching down there, and I do like the scheme they’re going to run. I think it fits him very well.”

Of course, Luck got most of the attention–and rightfully so–but Stanford also had had an impressive running game, ranking 18th nationally in rushing yards per game. Despite his experience helping to anchor Stanford’s high-powered ground game, one of the knocks on Martin is that he lacks physicality. Shaw doesn’t see it, though, noting that the Dolphins second-rounder always showed a willingness to mix it up.

“You can’t play on the offensive line here if you’re not a tough, physical guy,” Shaw said. “You’ll see on tape, you can see him come down on double teams. You’ll see him get out in space and try to cut guys and knock guys down.”

[2] Stanford head coach David Shaw spoke with Jesse Agler about Martin’s switch to right tackle and his transition to the NFL. : http://www.miamidolphins.com/media/audio/Research-Report-Jonathan-Martin/faf35ba8-7bac-4729-b648-d0ece47cf39a